Iran deal 'not dead', says France

United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or Iran nuclear deal

Emmanuel Macron

France has underscored that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or Iran nuclear deal "is not dead" as the European leaders pledged to salvage the 2015 Obama-era deal on Wednesday.

"The American logic is an isolationist, protectionist and unilateral logic. This is a break with international commitment and France deeply regrets this decision. We will bring businesses together in the coming days to try and preserve them as much as possible from the US measures," CNN quoted France's foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, as saying to French radio station RTL.

"We must talk about Iran's impressive ballistic missiles. Let's talk about this with Iran, let's put everything on the table but let's stay in the accord. The accord is a good thing for the stability in the region and for our security," Le Drian added.

United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or Iran nuclear deal.

President Trump further called the Iran nuclear deal as "defective," adding that Washington would reinstate sanctions against the Islamic republic.

"President Trump is terminating the United States' participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran and re-imposing sanctions lifted under the deal," the White House tweeted.

On a related note, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a news conference that her country had noted the US decision with "regret and concern," saying, "We must not question the Iran deal, however, we also need to talk about a broader deal that goes beyond it."

According to the several media reports, endorsing the views of her fellow European counterparts, UK Prime Minister Theresa May mentioned that she had made clear to Trump "in a number of conversations" that the deal should continue to exist.

Former US President Barack Obama branded Trump¿s Iran decision as a serious mistake.

"There are few issues more important to the security of the US than the potential spread of nuclear weapons or the potential for even more destructive war in the Middle East. Today's decision to put the JCPOA at risk is a serious mistake," Obama tweeted.

The Iran nuclear deal was signed between six countries in 2015 - Iran, the US, Britain, Germany, Russia, France and China for lifting economic sanctions on Tehran in exchange for limitations to the country's nuclear programme.

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